


What Can You Find, Locked In That Tower?

by draconicPeacekeeper



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-02-07 18:19:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12846840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draconicPeacekeeper/pseuds/draconicPeacekeeper
Summary: Jake English is a prince in the kingdom of Prospit. He stands for hope and everything that comes with it, but it's sort of hard to keep on hoping when a dragon kidnaps somebody you love.





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> peoasp asked:
> 
> JAKEDIRK AU WITH DIRK AS A SHAPESHIFTING DRAGON AMD JAKE AS UNHAPPY ROYALTY?
> 
> this was a good idea so I decided to just roll with it!! please note that ive never written jakedirk before and have,, no idea how to do so without having it end in a dramatic breakup and an awkward broship haha,,,, im trying my best

Your name is JAKE ENGLISH and you would very much like to just stay in bed for TEN MORE MINUTES.

 

“You’ve already been in bed for ten more minutes than you were supposed to!” Jade says, glaring at you as if you could see it with your head buried so far into the pillow. “It’s time to get up, already!”

 

She hoists you up into the air, and then, ignoring your fervent protests, dumps you on the ground. You don’t remember when she got this strong.

 

“Time to get ready, bro!” she says, clicking her tongue with a soft _tch_ of disapproval. “I won’t take no for an answer!” You frown at her as she digs around in your drawer, tossing clothes over her shoulder. She’s already hit you in the face with shoes three times today. Ow.

 

“Can’t I just go back to sleep? I was having the most splendiferous dream, Jade, you wouldn’t believe it!” you yawn, raking your fingers through your bird’s nest of a hairdo.

 

“Oh, I’m sure I would, mister! You can tell me about it after you get dressed. You were _supposed_ to be done already!” she gives you a disapproving pout as she runs out the door, fancy grey skirt blowing out behind her.

 

You let out a small sigh. You love Jade, you really do, but sometimes she can be a bit… impatient. Though you suppose that’s your fault for setting your alarm clock so late.

 

You pull on the outfit Jade’s picked out for you and turn to admire yourself in the mirror. The robe is colored a pale gold, catching at the waist in a scarlet-colored sash. Hanging off your back is a bright cloak the color of dandelions, matching the boots she’d tossed in your face. Embossed on the chest is one of the twelve sacred characters known throughout all three of the local kingdoms. This one, a pair of white swirls extending from the middle to look like angel wings, means _hope._ Ensuring that hope rings through the region is one of your jobs as prince, after all.

 

You head outside of your room and glance around the gargantuan hallway, regalness oozing from every corner. You trod down the left path towards the staircase, listening as your steps resound in the emptiness of the castle. Sometimes you think that it might be a little too big for a family of five.

 

When you finally reach the dining room, you hop into your chair at the table. It sits to the right of your father, the current king of Prospit. Crowded around him in the other three chairs are your siblings. Jane, the eldest sister, is draped in pale brown regalia, with the bright green symbol for _life_ in the front. This does not surprise you. As the princess and royal healer, Jane’s job is to bring life to everything around her. Beside her sits your little sister, Jade. Although you suppose you shouldn’t call her little when she’s the tallest person at the table. Her outfit is an elaborate dress colored black and grey, the symbol for _space_ coiled on her shirt. As the court witch and acting dignitary of Prospit, her job is to make sure that everyone respects each other’s space. And if they don’t, well, you’ve never met anybody who _wanted_ a head the size of a pea. Across from Jade is your baby brother, John. He’s not actually a baby, though he acts like one sometimes. You just like to call him that because it gets on his nerves. John is dressed in a bright blue tunic with the token of _breath_ placed on his chest to indicate his role as grand magician. He’ll take everyone’s breath away (and their money, if he feels like it).

 

“So,” says your father, pausing from his daily task of applying frosting to everyone’s pancakes. “Did everyone sleep well?”

 

A bored-sounding chorus of “Yes, Dad.” chimes around the table, before Jade adds “Jake said he had an interesting dream last night!”

  
Dad turns his head to you, curiosity spreading gently across his features. “How was your dream, honey?” he asks.

 

“Well, hmm.” you start out, rapping your fingers on the table nervously. “I woke up and I thought I was in my bed, right? I mean, that’s a very conventional sort of happening, I think. Waking up in one’s own bed.”

 

There’s a murmur of agreement from everyone but John, who pipes in to say that one time he woke up on his best friend’s couch, and also the couch was _not_ inside his best friend’s house. You decide not to question this and move on. “Yes, well, anyway it turns out that I was _not_ in my own bed at all! Unless of course, my bed had suddenly became purple overnight. Which wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen, I suppose. But anyway, I was also dressed in some sort of violet garment, and that was certainly strange as I don’t think I own any sort of bloody magenta clothing! Why, I just about thought someone was trying to hornswoggle me!”

 

“Oh, I’m sure you were quite catawampus!” says Jane with a soft giggle.

 

“I was indeed very discombobulated!” you ignore the way everyone is staring at you two in confusion in favor of carrying on with the story. “I quickly hopped out of bed and rushed to the window, only to find myself staring out at a pitch black sky with some sort of fire in the distance! When I woke up, I half expected to find myself lying in that exact same bed.”

 

Your Dad gives you a nod in response. “Very interesting, son.” His watch beeps expectantly and he glances at it in mild surprise. “Well, I suppose now is time to pick up the delivery of iron from the Carapacians. Who would like to go today?”

 

You yawn and stretch, leaning back in your chair sleepily. “Er, I do believe that I have nothing planned as of today! I’ll gladly go if that’s just fine and dandy with you.”

 

Dad gives you a soft smile. “Thank you for taking up this responsibility, Jake. I am so very proud of you.” He says that a lot, but you don’t particularly mind. You know he means it every time.

 

“Alright, well, I suppose I’ll be off now!” you say, buttoning your cloak and pulling the hood over your head. “I shall be back in a jiffy!”

* * *

  
The market has always been a busy place.

 

Brightly colored stalls are set up all across the street, wood signs painted neon and vibrant cloth draped across the tops. The air is abuzz with chatter, bickering and laughing and talking in a whirlwind of words and noise. Salesmen have made sure to make their wares apparent, from ancient pottery to baskets of ripe, delicious fruit. Carapacians, humans, and consorts alike parade across the streets, bags of their recent purchases hanging at their sides.

 

You, however, are not here for any kind of shopping trip. You are here on a mission. You are here to aid the kingdom, and you will not be distracted by anything, no siree! You are focused. You are determined. You will acquire the iron and then leave. You will-

 

You bump into somebody and promptly fall to the ground, all pretenses of grace abandoned. The satchel you were using falls to the ground, as well as the money you had inside it.

 

“Oh, Christ.” says the person you bumped into. You look up and see vivid orange eyes, so bright they almost appear to be glowing. But you can’t see much else, as the person is wrapped in a thick black cloak and has wrapped it around their entire body like some sort of shady ninja assassin. A ninjassasin, if you will. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Here, I’ll just- let me get that for you. God, sorry.”  


“It’s fine-” you try, but they’ve already scooped all your money back into the satchel and are holding it out to you with an apologetic smile. You aren’t quite sure how they did that so fast, but whatever.

 

“Thanks,” you say, before heading on your way again. You don’t think about the stranger as you leave. You don’t think about the stranger as you purchase the iron. You don’t think about the stranger as you pack it into your bag and run off towards the castle. You might have thought about the stranger once the castle was in seeing range, but you didn’t. You have other things on your mind at the moment.

 

A ginormous orange dragon is soaring off towards the west. Clutched in it’s claws is a screaming figure, hurling curses at the dragon like that’ll save her from its grasp. You have a pretty good idea who that is. After all, Jade has never exactly been quiet.

 

Something inside you clenches, and you run to the castle in terror.

 

What has happened to your sister?

* * *

Inside the castle, the members of the royal court are debating what the hell to do about that dragon. Some part of your brain registers John screaming, Jane crying, the advisers looking down their noses at everyone. You should be participating in the discussion, you know you should, but… there’s a sort of cold, dead numbness overtaking your thoughts, filling up the space in your chest where Jade should be. You find that you don’t particularly care about the kingdom right now.

 

“What we _need,_ ” says one adviser, with all the pretentiousness of a snake and then some, “is to send someone to kill a dragon! A knight, maybe, or a page of some sort.”

  
Your father opens his mouth to protest, but before he can, you feel words tumbling softly out of your mouth. “I’ll go,” you mumble.

 

Everyone turns to stare at you, shock written clearly across their faces. Perhaps they're as shocked to hear you speak as you are. “I-I’m sorry,” squeaks one adviser, “I must've heard you wrong, o-or something.”

 

“No,” you say, standing from your seat with a look of cold determination on your face. “I'll do it. I'll go kill the dragon.”

 

Dad frowns, placing his hand gently on your shoulder. “This is a very dangerous mission, son.” he says, voice gone soft with concern. “You could very well get hurt.”

 

You carefully remove his hand and look into his eyes solemnly. “I'll be alright, Dad. This isn't my first time handling a banger, after all!”

 

He opens his mouth to argue, but one of the advisers interrupts. “Now now, my lord! If the boy wants to go, we must let him! At least _this_ will take care of our dragon problem, won't it?” There's an evil glint in his eye that betrays his less-than-pure intentions, but you can't find it in you to care.

 

Your name is JAKE ENGLISH, and you might as well hold up a sign that says FITE ME, DRAGON because like hell you’re not going through with this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shockingly, this dragon is not dirk, as dirk is an adolescent and is thus not nearly as large as the dragon that just kidnapped jade


	2. The Princesss Of Prospit

Your Dad still doesn’t want you to go.

But the council voted, and the majority thought it was a good idea. As king, he could veto it, but without a stable reason it would be viewed as an abuse of power. You’re going now, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it.

You go to your room to pack, surroundings blurring as you think. You’ve never encountered a dragon in all your life. Everything you know about them comes from tales and legends and myths, and judging from those you won’t stand much of a chance. You’ve heard their scales are impenetrable. You’ve heard they can breath fire. You’ve heard that nobody who enters their caves comes out alive. But nothing you’ve heard can possibly help you.

You’re on your own now.

You pull a thick piece of leather onto your table and drop things onto it. Some fruit, some meat, a map, your pistols, and some pieces of gold in case you find yourself needing to barter. Then you grab the edge of the cloth and tie the items up into a sack. Hopefully this will be enough. Hopefully Jade is safe. Hopefully you’ll be able to get her out, alive and in one piece. Hopefully hopefully hopefully. You look down at the symbol embossed on your chest and laugh. It seems almost ironic, at this point.

You turn and gently push the door open, ready to go, and find Jane waiting at your doorway. You start to say “Janey-“ before she slaps you hard on the cheek.

“Ow!” you yell. “Cripes, Jane! That hurt like the dickens!”

She glares at you, eyes still red from crying. “What were you thinking??” she snarls, the cyan of her pupils pinning you in place. “Going off to face a bloody dragon on your own! You could be _killed_ , Jake! God, I thought you were smarter than this.”

“Don’t know where you got that impression…” you mutter. She slaps you again.

“Okay okay okay! Alright, Jane, I understand you’re upset, but-“

“Upset?!” she yowls. “UPSET?! Jake, my sister, _our sister_ , has been carried away by a blasted dragon! An honest-to-god dragon! And now you too are surrendering your life to that- that _beast_ , and soon John and I are going to be left alone with nothing but a father and a pile of bones that used to be our siblings! Of course I’m upset, have you lost your mind? Don’t be selfish-“

“Selfish?” you say, gaping at her. “Selfish! How am I being selfish-“

“YOU ARE NOT LEAVING ME HERE TO ROT!” she yells, waving a spoon in your face. “I am coming with you, brother, whether you like it or not! And when I finally get my bare hands on that dragon, I swear to god I am going to murder that monster if it’s the last thing I do!”

“It very well might be!” you say. “Jane, please! This is my responsibility. I promised I would face that dragon alone, and slay it of my own merit. I cannot let you risk your life for a problem that isn’t even yours! Besides, I’m afraid our father will never approve of this.”

“Who cares what he thinks?” she says. “My sister is in danger and my brother is going on a suicide mission to get her back! There is nothing in the world that could stop me from coming.”

“Oh, come on! What are you even going to use in the case of assault?” you poke the spoon she’s waving in your face. “Not to be rude, but this isn’t exactly the ultimate weapon there, sis.”

“Oh no, this for baking. _That_ ,” she gestures to the wall behind her. “Is my weapon.”

You look behind her and gape. Leaning against the wall is a double-sided, solid gold trident, bright surface glinting menacingly. The thing looks heavy as hell and you can’t imagine what it would take to lift it.

“D-did you steal that from the royal treasury?” you splutter. “How are you even going to carry that?”

She picks up the trident and swings it around as if it was nothing. “How do you think I brought it up here?”

You stare at her. “Gee Janey, for such a sweet gal you sure are one of the most terrifying people I know!”

Jane laughs. “I’ll take that as a compliment! Now, come on. We’ve got to go fight a dragon!”

You catch her arm before she can run off to who knows where. “Hold on just a second! We should take one of the carriages, and lucky for us-“

She gasps. “Jake! There’s an extra one in the stables that isn’t being used because the driver died!”

“Yes, exactly! Now, I know a guy and I’m sure he’d be willing to help us out, cheerful fellow that he is, so all we need to do is go down to the stables and we’ll be ready to go!”

“Yesss, I really think this is going to work!” says Jane, grinning like she’s never grinned before. “Who is this mystery guy, anyway?”  __

* * *

“You want me to what?!”

Erisol Capora isn’t exactly the best or the happiest driver on this side of Prospit. Still, he’s smart and mostly compliant aside from the perpetual negativity, so you think you can probably trust him.

“Mate, we just need you to direct us a small ways from the castle! It won’t be far, I promise!” You give him your best puppy eyes, to be used only in dire situations.

“No. No, this is stupid. Then again, you are also really stupid. Maybe I am stupid for not realizing how stupid you are? Whatever, this is confusing. The point is that your quest is stupid and you will probably be eaten by a dragon, which might be a little disappointing but in the grand scheme of things I probably won’t care. Then again, it’s not like there’s anything else to do in my completely unneeded existence, so I might as well go along with your weird, dumb ideas, right?”

“So you’ll help? Thanks a ton!! I can always count on you to be a good friend!”

“What, no. Did you not hear how many times I said no. Are you even listening to me?”

“Man, you really are such a fantastic bro!”

“Oh my god.”

You climb into the carriage, plop your bag down in the seat, and pull Jane inside. “Would you mind being a touch more careful than usual, Erisol? Thank you!”

Jane sits next to you and leans against your shoulder. “He seems rather prickly,” she says.

“Well, yes, I suppose he has a bit of a grumpy demeanor at times! But he really is a good fellow, I swear.”

She rolls her eyes. “If you say so. Hey, um, did you have any plans for the dragon?”

“Oh!” you say. “Oh, plans! Yes, right, those. Here, why don’t you take a look at this?”

You pull the map from your bag and roll it out onto your lap. “See, Derse is over here!” You point to a purple mass drawn on the opposite side from Prospit. “That’s where the dragon lives. Now, normally the quickest way would be to go around that mountain range right there, which could take weeks or even months! But this,” you tap a green forest drawn in the middle of the map. “Is the Skaia forest! I figure we can take a shortcut through it and we’ll be there in a jiffy!”

“Aren’t the Skaia forests, you know, haunted?” asks Jane.

“Now now, Janey-Jane! You know those are just legends,” you chide. “Skaia is perfectly safe! We’ll be there in about a day or two, but first we’ll have to stop here.” You tap a small house draw next to a bright blue pool.

“The Alternian Lakeside Inn?” reads Jane.

“It’s a place for travelers like us to rest on our wondrous adventure!” you say, but you’re not really sure you believe the ‘wondrous’ part. It won’t be wonderful if you get eaten by a dragon, and it certainly won’t be wondrous if you don’t get Jade back.

The carriage shakes for a second and you yelp. “Christ on a unicycle- sorry!” yells Erisol from the front. “I’m pretty sure this road was built to be used as a literal torture device?”

You laugh. “Oh, good old Capora, always up for a good jest!”

“No, I’m not joking I’m- There are _actual spikes_ in the road and they are _hell_ to avoid.”

You snort and turn back to Jane, who looks lost in thought. Your face falls as you think about what you’re doing.

“Jane,” you say. “...Do you think John will be fine?”

“Of course he will. Dad would never let anything happen to him, you know.” she falls silent after a moment. “You know, I was going to bring him with us, but he was never really the type for going out on dangerous missions.”

You give a weak chuckle. “Yeah, I know. Still, perhaps he’d be better at it than us, huh?”

“Yeah,” says Jane. “Perhaps.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man for a dirkjake fic there sure isn’t a lot of dirk, huh
> 
> Anyway Jane Crocker is gr8 and I love her a lot lol


	3. Fishy Business (god I love puns)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> that's a lot of fish huh

You jolt awake as the carriage lulls to a stop in front of the inn. You hadn’t been  _ trying _ to fall asleep, but that didn’t stop your consciousness from slipping away as you napped.

 

“Hey, sleepyhead! Wake up!!” you hear someone yell from the front of the carriage. Ah, yes. That would be Capora.

 

“I am  _ very _ awake, thanks for the concern!!” you shout back as you and Jane climb out of the carriage. Erisol offers you a single gesture before riding off into the distance.

 

“What a good man,” you say. Jane sighs and pulls you towards the entrance of the inn.

 

“Let’s just get this over with.”

 

The Alternian Lakeside Inn is about as well-lit as a bugbear’s cave, which is to say that it’s not very lit at all. The only light that you can see is coming from candles, each one seemingly brought in by a different guest. What you can’t see you can hear, shouts and cracking noises coming from all around you. It seems as if several fights are going on at once. You look to the bartender, but judging by his vacant stare he won’t be stopping them anytime soon.

 

You walk up to the counter and gently wave a hand over his face. No response. “Um, excuse me?”

 

He jolts and blinks up at you in confusion. “Ah, um! How may I help you, sir?”

 

Jane speaks for you. “We would like a room and two beds to stay the night, if you please! We already have a sufficient amount of money, so there shouldn’t be any issue.” She slides a bag of gold coins over the counter as the bartender gawks.

 

“I, that’s… I mean, of course, Miss! We’ll get a room prepared r-right away,” he says, yawning. You think he might still be a little bit out of it.

 

You and Jane slide into a couple of chairs as you wait. “I didn’t know you were so skilled at negotiating! You keep surprising me,” you say, shooting her a cheeky grin.

 

She laughs and elbows you in the ribs. What’s with your sisters and injuring you today? “Are you frightened, English? You’re gonna have to square up if you really wish to be king someday!” You know she’s only teasing, but it makes you think. You’ve never been very good at diplomacy. What’s going to happen when you eventually need to use it?

 

“Jake? Jake!!” You’re pulled back to reality by the sound of Jane’s voice. “What’s going on in the thick head of yours?”

 

You rub the back of your neck sheepishly. “Ah, nothing much! Apologies for worrying you. I’m just wondering about what sort of king I’m going to be. What if I never get it right? What if Prospit falls into turmoil and then I’ve gone and ruined everything? What if-”

 

“What if, what if, what if! There’s no need for what ifs, Jake!” Jane’s frowning at you now, but there’s a certain fondness in her eyes. “You may be a bit emptyheaded sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be a  _ great _ king. Now, come on. We have to figure out what we’re going to do with that blasted dragon.”

 

She pulls a scroll out of her pocket and taps it with a quill. “Dragons are known for having firebreath and nearly impenetrable skin. We could combat the fire with something that resists it, like water or something of the sort. But I’m not sure how to weaponize water, and I’m equally confused about the skin. Now I know we need something sharp enough to pierce the hide, but there’s nothing of the sort, or at least nothing I’ve heard of-”

 

“Yo, are you guppies over hear glubbin’ aboat dragons and not invitin’ me to the conchversation?” You whip around and there stands a scary looking woman in ratty clothes and her hair in twin braids that trail all the way down to the floor.

 

“Who are you?” says Jane, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

“Just some beach who happens ta be feelin’ generous right about now. Nofin to concern you,” says the woman, hopping up to sit on the table. “Now what’s this I hear about dragons?”

 

“Haha, right! Well, this has been such a lovely conchver- conversation, but I think Jake and I need a moment. Could you please excuse us?” says Jane, with a friendly smile you don’t quite think is real. She pulls you around the corner and leans in. “I don’t think we can trust her,” she whispers.

 

“First of all, why in the world are we whispering? There’s not a soul around,” you whisper back, gesturing to the empty hallway she’s pulled you to. “Second of all, I do actually agree with you. A strange woman comes up to us and asks about that beast, uninvited and unprompted? There’s nothing I can do here but doubt she has pure intentions.”

 

Jane lets out a sigh. “That’s a relief, I thought you would argue.”

 

“Of course not! What we have to do now is figure out how to avoid telling the truth. I say we lie.”

 

“Seems like a good plan. Alright then! I concur.”

 

The two of you head back into the main room and slide into your seats. “My sincerest apologies for our little excursion,” Jane says, offering the woman an apologetic smile.

 

The woman shrugs. “Didn’t seem like much of an excursion to me, but that ain’t any skin off my back. Are ya ready to talk about that dragon problem of yours?”

 

“Yes yes, of course!” you say, hoping it sounds believable. “You see, um. Our friend’s house burned down recently, and she suspects it was due to a- a dragon. All conjecture, I’m sure!”

 

The woman looks at you, still grinning. “That’s a lie.”

 

You freeze, anxiety pushing against the sides of your chest. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, Miss.”

 

“Call me Meenah,” she says, waving a hand dismissively. “And I dont reelly care whether or not you feel like tellin’ me the truth, but that’s not the truth, I’m shore of it.” She hops down and throws an arm around your shoulder. “Lucky for you, I’m eeling magnanimous today! So I’ll help you.”

 

Jane gives her a disbelieving look. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

 

“I said I’m gonna kelp you, queeny girl.” Upon seeing Jane’s puzzled face, Meenah laughs. “What? You didn’t think I could tell. Oh, please. I’m royalty myshelf ya know.”

 

“Really? You don’t seem the type,” you say.

 

“Not for ruling, I’m not. But there’s nofin wrong with a little gold, am I right?” Now that you’re looking, you see two golden banglets hanging from her wrists. Huh.

 

“How could you possibly help us?” says Jane, apparently ignoring the whole royalty thing.

 

“Shrimple! I know the secret of a dragon’s weakness,” Meenah says, grinning. “I’ll tell ya, but only for a price!” 

 

“A price?” says Jane. “We can give you your gold, but we don’t even know if this information is accurate and-”

 

“Chill out, queeny! It isn’t anyfin pike that. I just need you ta do me a favor of sorts.”

  
“...A favor?” you say. “What kind of favor?”

  
  
“Nothing much. You sea, I dropped my favorite trident in the lake the other day, and I haven’t been able to get it back since. It would be pretty cool if somebody could, shell we say, retrieve it for me…” Oh man. You think you know what she’s getting at.

 

“You want me to swim down into the lake?” you say. “Are you quite sure that’s a good idea?”

 

“Oh, don’t be chicken! It’s really easy! I’ve done it plenty of times.”

 

“Then why can’t you do it now?” says Jane, voicing your thoughts perfectly.

 

“Eh,” says Meenah. “I’m too lazy. So how’s about it? Just one small favor for the answer you’ve been lookin’ for!”   
  


“This is a bad idea,” says Jane. There’s an uneasy look on her face, and you can’t say you’re too pumped about this either. But…

 

“It’s just one small favor, Jane. What can go wrong?” you say. Meenah grins, and just for your second it looks like she has sharp teeth and pointed ears. But then it goes away again, and all you’re left with is a human woman with gold banglets and ratty clothes.

 

“Alright then, good luck!” says Meenah. “And don’t come back until you’ve got that trident, you hear? Shouldn’t take ferry long at all!”

 

You and Jane head for the door, yourself pausing at the doorway. You turn and ask, “Are you sure you’re human?” just to make absolute certain.

 

“Wings? What wings?” says Meenah.

 

“I didn’t mention any wings.”

 

“Oh, okay. Well then, there aren’t any.”

 

“But then why did you-”

 

“Chop chop! Betta get that trident now, ey?” You walk towards the lake with a sigh. What a very strange person indeed.

* * *

 

“Are you really going through with this?”

 

You are currently standing on the edge of a large pool of water. The water is a dark, murky sort of color, and it’s making it hard to spot any sort of trident. Then again, something so heavy would probably have sunk by now. You’re really going to have to dive deep to find it.

 

Jane is giving you a nervous look. You’d wonder what she was thinking if you couldn’t read it on her face. “It’s not too late to back out of the deal,” she says. “We can find another way to beat the dragon.”

 

“No, Jane. Look, it’ll be fine! I’ll just dive down and grab the trident, and I’ll be out in a minute or two. I mean, how deep can it be? It’s a lake, not an ocean.”

 

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Jane is saying, but you’ve already thrown off your robes and are now diving into the water.

 

It’s exactly as cold as you’d think it would be, icy water lapping at you and stabbing into your skin. You push through it and peer through the darkness, looking for a splash of gold or some other three-pronged indication of your goal. You finally spot it stuck in mudbank at the seafloor. You were right, you realize. The lake really isn’t deep at all. You’ve swum down and have almost caught a grip of it when a flash of green scales bursts into your vision. You look around, panicked, but there’s almost nothing there until another batch of scales swims by, this one more colorful than the last. While you would love to stay and gawk until you’ve found the names of these particular colors, you’re rather caught up in the more urgent dilemma: you’re underwater, surrounded by some sort of sea-creature(s? How many are there, exactly), and you are attempting to carry a heavy gold trident up to the shore before you drown. You pull desparately on the handle, but the trident is stuck tight and just won’t move. Another scaley tail looms above you, and you begin to lose conciousness.

 

The last thing you hear before you black out is a voice, murmuring something unintelligible. The last thing you see is darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) sorry this chapter took so long to write, and sorry it's a bit boring!! nothing exciting happens in the first three chapters I'm afraid, since I've just been setting stuff up :')
> 
> B) I'm an only sibling so I'm sorry if this isn't how siblings interact lmao
> 
> C) it's funny that in a dirkjake fic, dirk hasn't shown up more than once in three chapters 
> 
> hope you enjoy!


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